Concrete finishing apparatus



Jan. 5, 1965 J. L. BLANKENsHlP ETAL CONCRETE FINISHING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 17. 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan- 5, 1965 J. L. BLANKENsHlP ETAL 3,164,072

CONCRETE FINISHING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 17. 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 o 5,6 f# Z944 lATTORNEYS Jan- 5, 1965 J. .B| ANKENSH1P ETAL 3,164,072

CONCRETE FINISHING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 17, 1961 :s sheets-sheet 3 INVENTORS w 0 www ATTORNEYS United States Patent yOffice lbddl Patented `lan. 5, 1965 3,1o4,fl72 g CNCRETE FINSHENG APPARATUS .laines Leslie Blankenship and Elmore Fred Blankenship, Salem, Va., assigncrs to True-Line Gespot-ation, Roanoke, Va., a corporation of Virginia Filed Aug. 17, 19,61, Ser. No. 132,175 4 Claims. (Cl. 94-45) The present invention relates in general to concrete finishing apparatus, and more particularly tto bridge deck `finishing apparatus having screed units for effectively finishllg plastic material such as concrete and the like forming a bridge floor.

An object of the present invention is the provision of concrete finishing apparatus for finishing concrete bridge floors and the like which is of simple, rugged construction to readily withstand the shocks and stresses to which such devices may be subjected.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a novel bridge deck finishing apparatus for finishing concrete rbidge foors and the like having a pair of opposing action screeds extending transversely across the bridge floor and adjustable to accurately produce predetermined contours on the surface.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of novel bridge deck finishing apparatus for finishing concrete bridge floors or the like having a pair of transversely oscillatable finishing screeds which maybe readily adjusted to produce desired predetermined contours by simple means and which maybe readily raised when desired to return for a second pass over the bridge deck or portions thereof. v

Another object ofthe present invention is the provision of novel bridge deck finishing apparatus of the type described in the preceding paragraph wherein the finishing surfaces are supported from telescopically associated truss sections adapting the machine to be readily adjusted t different widths. n

Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the present invention will become apparent from' the following detail description, taken in conjunction with :the accompanying drawings illustrating one preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a front elevation of bridge deck finishing apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention;

. FIGURE 2 is a top plan view thereof;

FIGURE 3 is an end elevation view of the bridge deck finishing apparatus as viewed-fromthe left-hand side of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section View taken along the line 4 4. of FIGURE 1; Y

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary vertical section view taken along the line 55 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary section view takenl along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5 and illustrating details of the construction for supponting the screed units from the vertically adjustable screed hanger unit; and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary section view'taken along the line 7-7 of FIGURE 5 illustrating details of construction of the eccentric and follower ring associated with the rocker arm for oscillating oneof the screed members.

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Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures, the bridge deck finishing apparatus of the present invention, indicated generally by the reference character 10, is designed to transversely span substantially the entire width of the bridge floor to be finished and ride upon supporting tracks or rails 11 extending longitudinally along the bridge fioor near the lateral edges thereof, the tracks in the herein illustrated embodiment being two-inch inner diameter pipes strung along the bridge deck and Supported at three-foot intervals. Two opposing action oscillating screeds l2 and 13 each formed of upwardly opening channel beams having webs 12u, 13a and flanges 12b,

13b are provided to finish the concrete surface, and span uninterruptedly substantially the entire distance betweeny the two supporting tracks l1. Each screed 12, 13 is formedV of a channel member of predetermined length determined by the width of the bridge deck to be finished and is designed-to be adjusted for flat, arcuate or parabolic crown in the bridge floor. The screeds 12. and 13 are supported in depending relation at a plurality of uniformly spaced points from a suitable moving carriage comprising a truss framework 1d formed of a plruality of boxed truss sections, the truss framework 14 of the illustrated embodiment including a center section 1S and a pair of end sections ]6 and ll'V which telescopically receivethe center truss section. The center truss section 15 includes a plurality of horizontal longitudinalangleiron members. 13 at the corners, verticalrandV diagonal bracing angle irons 19 and Ztl along the sides, and transverse and diagonal horivzontal cross bracing angle irons/21 and 22 across thetop and bottom to form a'conventional boxed truss configuration, the flanges of the angle irons being directed along [the planes of the top, bottom and sides of the boxed truss section or inwardly from such planesso as not to Vinterferewithtelescopic sliding movement of the center truss section i5 within the end truss sections 16. and 17, Simitherefrom to facilitate sliding accommodation of the center truss section 15 within the end truss sections 16, 17.

The center truss section 15 is provided at its center with cross beams 28 at the top and bottom thereof and the end truss sections 16, 17 are provided with cross beams Z9 near the outer ends and atan intermediate point along the end truss sections, eachof'which is either of channel or angle iron form and. project forwardly of the truss sections. These cross beams 2-8- and 29 on the truss sections 15.1e and 17 form supporting beams for vertically adjustabley screed hanger units- 3@ by which the screeds12 andlS-are supported in dependingrelation belowthe truss framework ld. These screed hanger units 3i) each include an outer tubular. post 31 which is disposed-vertically and issuitably afiixed, as by-welding or other convenient securing means, to a mounting bracket in the form of a plate 32 which in :turn is secured by bolts or like fastening means to the cross'beams 28, 29 at the forwardly projecting portions thereof and at an intermediate position between the forward and rearward vertical planes of the truss framework 14. A ventically movable column 33 of tubular form is slidably housed within the bore of the post 31 and has an internal threaded portion, herein provided by a threaded nut 34 welded to the top end thereof, which threadedly receives a threaded shaft 35 having a crank type handle wheel 36 fixed to the upper end thereof. A collar 37 having an outer diameter corresponding substantially to that of the post 31 is keyed or Vpinned to the threaded shaft 35 and bears against a washer at the upper end of the post 31, whereby the hand wheel 36 and threaded shaft 35 may be rotated to effect axial adjustment of the column 33 in a vertical direction. The lower end of the column 33 carries an extension 38 projecting below Vthe post 31, the lower end of which has a transverse bore lined by a bushing 39 which receives a pair of axially aligned stub shafts 40 supporting rollers 41 on the outer or exposed ends thereof. These stub shafts 40 are preferably spaced apart approximately oneeighth of an inch between their inner ends so as to aecommodate a slight degree of movement of the rollers 41 and stub shafts 4t) toward each other.

TheV rollers 41 project into inwardly opening channel .shaped guide tracks 42 fixed to the flanges 12b, 13b of the channel shaped screeds 12 and 13 and disposed so that their webs are arranged in vertical planes by means of suitable shims 43 between the webs of the track members 42 and the flanges of the screeds 12, 13. The channelshaped guide tracks 42 therefore provide races opening toward each other and extending along axes generally paralleling the surfaces of the screed webs 12a, 13a whereby the screeds may be oscillated rectilinearly transversely of the bridge deck by means of the flanges of the guide tracks 42 riding on the surfaces of the rollers 41. Also, because the inwardly projecting flanges of the channel shaped guide tracks 42 embrace both the top and bottom of the rollers 41, the screeds can be readily raised andy lowered by adjustment of the hand wheels 36. As can be noted from FIGURE 6 a very small spacing is shown between the rollers 41 and the top guide track 42. This spacing is necessarily very small to provide for the proper tolerances used in bridge work, however, in this figure the spacing is exaggerated somewhat so that it may be seen. This minute spacing is provided so that the rollers 41 will not bind within the tracks 42.

The opposite ends of the truss framework. 14 are movably supported on the supporting tracks 11 by means of identical end supporting trucks or wheel units 45, each of which comprises a frame 46, formed, for example, of a channel member having depending flanges, to which are secured laterally spaced pairs of depending wheel brackets 47 and 48 for supporting fore and aft wheels 49 and 50, preferably of the wide face single flange type. The wheels 49, 50 are movably supported on the wheel brackets 47, 48 to permit adjustment of the truss framework and screeds to a raised and lowered position by means of wheel 'support levers 51, each of which is pivotally secured at an intermediate point to an associated one of the wheel brackets 47, 48 by pivot pins 52. The wheel support levers 51 support the wheel axles 53 adjacent one end of each of the levers and are connected adjacent their opposite ends to links 54, 55 which are pinned together by a common pin 56 coupled to the lower end of a control lever 57. The control lever 57 is pivotally supported on the frame 46 by pivot pin 58 and normally occupies a solid line position, as illustrated in FIGURE 3, wherein the links 54 and 55 and their associated wheel support levers 51 assume a screed lowering position wherein the screeds 12 and 13 are disposed to work the surfaces of the concrete and establish the desired surface contour. At this positionof thecontrol lever 57 and wheel support levers 51, the wheel axles 53 rest upon a stop surface 59 at the lower edge of the wheel brackets 47, 48. Upon shifting of the controllever 57 forwardly or in a clockwise direction to the broken line position illustrated in FIGURE 3,

the Wheel support levers 51 are shifted counterclockwise through the intermediary of the links 54, 55 to force the wheel axles 53 downwardly to a lower position relative to the pivot pins 52 and thereby raise the truss framework 14 and screeds 12, 13 to a raised inactive position wherebythe apparatus can be shifted along the supporting tracks without working the concrete surface. ln this elevated position, the axes of the wheel axles 53 pass under center relative to the vertical plane through the center of the pivot pins 52 and abut the vertical stop surfaces 6G on the lower edges of the wheel brackets 47, 48 whereby the truss framework and screeds will remain in the elevated position until the control lever 57 is manually returned to the screed lowering position.

To facilitate traction or translation of the apparatus along the guide tracks 11, hand winch unit 61 is fixed to an upright front portion 62 of each truck frame and a cable 63 trained about the winch 61 and about a pulley 64 mounted on the truck front portion 62 extends to some convenient fixed anchor to facilitate drawing of the apparatus along the tracks.

The screeds 12, 13 are oscillated in two opposing directions by means of rocker arms 65 coupled at one end to brackets 66 secured to an associated one of the screeds 12, 13 and secured at their opposite ends to a follower ring 67 surrounding an eccentric 68 on a shaft 69 journaled in suitable bearings 70 depending from the framework of the end truss section 16. The shaft 69 is driven through a gear reduction box 71 from a shaft 72 coupled by a conventional belt and pulley coupling 73 from a suitable power source such as the engine 74 supported on a platform 75 mounted on the framework of the end truss section 16.

In the use of the bridge deck finishing apparatus, the supporting tracks 11 are laid longitudinally of the bridge deck near the lateral edges of the bridge, screeds 12 and 13 of an appropriate length for the width of the bridge floor are assembled on the screed hanger units 30, and the truck units 45 are positioned on the guide tracks, the telescopically assembled truss sections 15, 16 and 17 being adjusted to correspond to the transverse spacing of the supporting tracks. The hand Wheels 36 are then adjusted to axially position the columns 33 in the hanger posts 31 to conform the screeds 12, 13 to the desired crown contour or fiat condition. With the control levers S7 associated with each of the end supporting trucks 45 in the screed lowering position, the finishing apparatus may then be moved along the tracks 11 over the poured concrete by operation of the Winches 61. The engine 74 through the belt and pulley coupling 73 and gear reduction box 71 drives the eccentrics 67 to actuate the rocker arms 65 so as to reciprocate the screeds 12, 13 on the rollers 41. The screeds 12, 13 will be confined to reciprocative movement in near horizontal planes by the interaction of the rollers 41 and the guide tracks 42, fixed to the fianges of the screeds. When it is desired t0 move the finishing apparatus along the supporting tracks 11 without working the concrete, the screeds 12, 13 can be simply raised without necessitating complex readjustment of the hand wheels 36 by shifting the control levers 57 forwardly to the broken line position illustration in FIGURE 3. This rocks the Wheel support levers 51 through the vertical planes of their associated pivot pins 52 until the wheel axles 53 abut the stop surfaces 60 to increase the vertical spacing between the wheel axles and the truss framework and elevate the screeds about the surface of the concrete.

This apparatus greatly reduces the labor formerly required in finishing concrete bridge floors and is readily adaptable to be adjusted to a wide variety of bridge floor widths by virtue of the telescopic association of the truss sections, without sacrificing the ability of the truss framework to support the screeds with precision in accordance with the desired surface contour.

While but one preferred example of the present invention has been particularly shown and described, it is ap- Y parent that various modifications may be made therein within the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is desired, therefore, that only such limitations be placed on the invention as are imposed by the prior art and set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Concrete finishing apparatus for finishing ,a concrete surface adapted to be moved along a preselected path over the concrete surface comprising a pair of wheeled trucks adapted to run on a pair of transversely spaced parallel supporting tracks laid over the concrete surface, a truss framework fixed at its opposite ends to said wheeled trucks for bridging the space between said wheeled trucks and forming a rigid substantially horizontal supporting span extending transversely of the path and spaced above the concrete surface, an elongated and relatively flexible screed member extending transversely of the path below the truss framework for working the concrete surface, means carried by said truss framework for reciprocating said screed member and said trucks including manually adjustable means for selectively adjusting the height of said truss framework to a first level supporting the screed member in operative contact with the concrete surface and a second level wherein the truss framework occupies a position spacing the screed member out of operative engagement with the concrete surface, a plurality of vertically adjustable screed hanger means fixed to said truss framework movably supporting the screed member for transverse reciprocative movement relative to said path at a plurality of spaced positions along the screed member, each of said screed hanger means including manually adjustable means for vertically fixing the position of the adjacent portion of said screed member at selected distances from said truss framework for varying the contour of said screed member to produce selected crown configurations on the concrete surface, said screed hanger means further including a pair of transversely spaced rollers mounted on the manually adjustable means and rotatable about horizontal axes parallel to the path of travel carried by the lower ends of the manually adjustable means, said screed member having a pair of inwardly facing channel-shaped track members for each of said pairs of rollers, said track members fixed to the screed member, the rollers confined to rolling engagment within the limits of the channel-shaped track which provides a track above and below the rollers to prevent vertical movement and in fore and aft directions relative to the path of travel and supporting the screed member for transverse reciprocative movement from said manually adjustable means.

2, Concrete finishing apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein when the screed member and its associated track members move in a reciprocative manner relative to said rollers the confined and non-vertically movable pairs of rollers forcing the screed member to flex and assume the preset crown configuration at each screed hanger means by interaction of the rollers and the vertical movement limiting track members.

3. Concrete finishing apparatus for finishing a concrete surface adapted to travel along a path over the concrete on supporting tracks at opposite sides of the concrete surface comprising an elongated screed member extending transversely of the path over substantially the space between the tracks adapted to be reciprocated substantially horizontally transversely of the path, a mobile frame for rigidly supporting said screed member at selected vertical levels adapted to travel along the tracks including a pair of wheeled carriage units having wheels to run on the supporting tracks, a truss framework fixed at its opposite ends to said carriage units bridging the space therebetween and forming a transversely extending supporting span spaced above the concrete surface, said screed member being formed of an upwardly opening channel member of preselected length substantially spanning the space between the tracks having a web forming the concrete working portion and upwardly directed flanges projecting having a'pir of inwardly facing channel-shaped track .members for each f 'said pairs of rollers fixed to the flanges of said screed member, the rollers confined to rolling engagement within the limits of the channelshaped track which provides a track above and below the rollers and in fore and aft directions relative to the path of travel and supporting the screed member for transverse reciprocative movement from said columns, screw means for adjustably fixing the vertical position of each of said columns to dispose the screed member portions supported thereby at selected distances below the truss framework for varying the contour of the screed member to produce selected crown configurations on the concrete surface, and means carried by said truss framework for reciprocating said screed member transversely of the path of travel.

4. Concrete finishing apparatus for finishing a concrete surface adapted to travel along a path over the concrete on transversely spaced supporting tracks at opposite sides of the concrete area to be finished comprising a truss framework forming a rigid supporting span extending transversely of the path over the space between the supporting tracks including an elongated center truss section and a pair of elongated end truss sections aligned transversely of the path of movement of the finishing apparatus and telescopically intercoupled with each other for adjustment of the distance spanned by said truss framework, said truss sections each being of boxed truss configuration and said end truss sections being sized to telescopically receive therein portions of said center truss section over coextensive zones of sutlicient length to resist distortion of the trussed sections out of preselected allgnment transversely of the path of movement, wheeled carriage means rigidly connected to an end of each of said end truss sections having wheels to run on the supporting tracks and movably support the truss framework, an elongated screed member extending transversely of the path below the truss framework for working the concrete surface over substantially the entire distance between the supporting tracks, said screed member being formed of an upwardly opening channel member of preselected length substantially spanning the space between the tracks having a web forming the concrete working portion and upwardly directed flanges projecting therefrom, a plurality of vertically adjustable screed hanger means fixed to said truss framework at spaced positions along the distance spanned thereby each including a vertical tubular post fixed to the truss framework and a vertically adjustable column guided axially therein havmg a pair of transversely spaced rollers rotatable about horizontal axes parallel to the path of travel carried by the lower ends of said columns, and said screed member having a pair of inwardly facing channel-shaped track members for each of said pairs of rollers fixed to the flanges of said screed member, the rollers confined to rolling engagement within the limits of the channel-shaped track which provides a track above and below the rollers and in fore and aft directions relative to the path of travel and supporting the screed member for transverse reciprocative movement from said columns, screw means for adjustably fixing the vertical position of each of said columns to dispose the screed member portions supported thereby at selected distances below the truss framework for varying the contour of the screed member to produce selected crown configurations on the concrete surface, and

' 7 'S means carried by said truss framework for reciprocating 2,866,394 12/58 Smith 94-45 said screed mmbertransversly of the path of travel. 2,962,949 12/60 ODea 94--45 E 2,990,754 7/61 YBeeson 94-45 References Citedby the Examiner 219991433 9/61 l Baltes 94 45 UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,015,257 2/62 Apel 94--45 19,033 3 /27 'Maxon 94-45 3105 1,062 8/62 Apel 94-45 1,652,257 v3/23 Vamio 94-45 y 3,080,798 3/ 63 McCullough 94-45 2,054,263 9/36 Mccrery 94-45 3,110,234 12/63 Oster 94-45 2,194,754V 3/40 Johnson 94-.44 10 3,113,494 12/63 Barnes 94-45 2358085 9/44 Mluikin 94"`45 JACOB L. NACKENOFF, Primary Examiner. 2,386,662 Crock 94-45 

1. CONCRETE FINISHING APPARATUS FOR FINISHING A CONCRETE SURFACE ADAPTED TO BE MOVED ALONG A PRESELECTED PATH OVER THE CONCRETE SURFACE COMPRISING A PAIR OF WHEELED TRUCKS ADAPTED TO RUN ON A PAIR OF TRANSVERSELY SPACED PARALLEL SUPPORTING TRACKS LAID OVER THE CONCRETE SURFACE, A TRUSS FRAMEWORK FIXED AT ITS OPPOSITE ENDS TO SAID WHEELED TRUCKS FOR BRIDGING THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID WHEELED TRUCKS AND FORMING A RIGID SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL SUPPORTING SPAN EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE PATH AND SPACED ABOVE THE CONCRETE SURFACE, AN ELONGATED AND RELATIVELY FLEXIBLE SCREED MEMBER EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE PATH BELOW THE TRUSS FRAMEWORK FOR WORKING THE CONCRETE SURFACE, MEANS CARRIED BY SAID TRUSS FRAMEWORK FOR RECIPROCATING SAID SCREED MEMBER AND SAID TRUCKS INCLUDING MANUALLY ADJUSTABLE MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY ADJUSTING THE HEIGHT OF SAID TRUSS FRAMEWORK TO A FIRST LEVEL SUPPORTING THE SCREED MEMBER IN OPERATIVE CONTACT WITH THE CONCRETE SURFACE AND A SECOND LEVEL WITHIN THE TRUSS FRAMEWORK OCCUPIES A POSITION SPACING THE SCREED MEMBER OUT OF OPERATIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CONCRETE SURFACE, A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE SCREED HANGER MEANS FIXED TO SAID TRUSS FRAMEWORK MOVABLY SUPPORTING THE SCREED MEMBER FOR TRANSVERSE RECIPROCATIVE MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID PATH AT A PLURALITY OF SPACED POSITIONS ALONG THE SCREED MEMBER, EACH OF SAID SCREED HANGER MEANS INCLUDING MANUALLY ADJUSTABLE MEANS FOR VERTICALLY FIXING THE POSITION OF THE ADJACENT PORTION OF SAID SCREED MEMBER AT SELECTED DISTANCES FROM SAID TRUSS FRAMEWORK FOR VARYING THE CONTOUR OF SAID SCREED MEMBER TO PRODUCE SELECTED CROWN CONFIGURATIONS ON THE CONCRETE SURFACE, SAID SCREED HANGER MEANS FURTHER INCLUDING A PAIR OF TRANSVERSELY ROLLERS MOUNTED ON THE MANUALLY ADJUSTABLE MEANS AND ROTATABLE ABOUT HORIZONTAL AXES PARALLEL TO THE PATH OF TRAVEL CARRIED BY THE LOWER ENDS OF THE MANUALLY ADJUSTABLE MEANS, SAID SCREED MEMBER HAVING A PAIR OF INWARDLY FACING CHANNEL-SHAPED TRACK MEMBERS FOR EACH OF SAID PAIRS OF ROLLERS, SAID TRACK MEMBERS FIXED TO THE SCREED MEMBER, THE ROLLERS CONFINED TO ROLLING ENGAGEMENT WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE CHANNEL-SHAPED TRACK WHICH PROVIDES A TRACK ABOVE AND BELOW THE ROLLERS TO PREVENT VERTICAL MOVEMENT AND IN FORCE AND AFT DIRECTIONS RELATIVE TO THE PATH OF TRAVEL SUPPORTING THE SCREED MEMBER FOR TRANSVERSE RECIPROCATIVE MOVEMENT FROM SAID MANUALLY ADJUSTABLE MEANS. 